The most well known self-balancing human transporter is marketed under the trade name “segway”. Such a self-balancing human transporter comprises a platform on which the user stands upright. The platform is equipped with two wheels flanking it at the sides. The self-balancing human transporter is equipped with a handle for holding and steering and with a gyroscopic stabilizing device acting on motors that drive the wheels.
These gyropods have a high number of component parts and are expensive to produce. In particular, the wheels are each mounted on the output shaft of a reduction gearbox attached to the platform and the input shaft of which is driven by the associated drive motor. This arrangement is complicated and expensive to produce.
More recently, a self-balancing human transporter of simpler design has been proposed and marketed under the name “ewee”. This transporter has a slender central body forming the handle, and bearing two wheels at its lower end. The body comprises half-platforms extending one on either side of the body, outboard of the wheels, to take the feet of the user.
This arrangement appears to be less ergonomic because the separated arrangement of the half-platforms forces the user to stand with his feet apart and leads to a vehicle of greater transverse width.